16: Vote

The gathered Lords, Daimyo, Demon, and Shogun alike looked at the young blond in shock. Hinata and Tayuya were equally stunned by their husband's admission. Gaara, however, was quick to recover, and gave the young man a slight smile, "You've finally done it."

"But how?" Fu asked, looking at him in sheer surprise, "I remember all the times that we sparred, you would be fighting me, and fending off the fox's advances!"

Naruto shrugged, "I simply used my most stunning attribute," he said, smiling, "My stubbornness."

"And his talent for paintings," said a very large grey fox that slunk into the room, "Lord Naruto worked tirelessly on a portrait for the Great One, and presented it to him as a reminder of his late wife, and only mate."

"And as a result," Naruto sighed, smiling, "I was granted his name." He said, wincing, "Though, he's not happy with me spouting it around humans."

Mifune cleared his throat, "If we may return to the matter at hand?" The aging Shogun said, "You mentioned that this Kurama fought with the same man that placed a powerful Genjutsu over Yagura, a previous Demon Lord, and manipulated him?"

Naruto nodded to the man, and motioned for the fox to come closer, "Ryuji, would you inform the kitchen staff to prepare some tea and perhaps some lite meals for us, this may take awhile."

"Of course, Lord," the fox dipped his head and left the room.

Mifune watched the beast go for a moment and returned his gaze to the blond, "You were saying?"

Naruto sighed, "As I understand it from Kurama, sixteen years ago, on the day of my birth, when my mother was at her weakest due to childbirth, a man appeared and stole me away from my father, killing the Third Hokage's wife, and her attendant. After my father got me to safety, the man took my mother outside the village, and used a Sharingan based Genjutsu to control him, and set him loose on the village."

"This was before the massacre," Mifune's attendant said, "It's very possible that an Uchiha could have taken the chance to unleash the fox's wrath."

"Your words hold truth, Kenshin," Mifune nodded, motioning for Naruto to continue.

A sigh escaped his lips, "From there, he says things get hazy because of the Genjutsu, but he recognized the man's scent, and more importantly, his chakra signature...he claims the man to be Madara Uchiha."

Mifune's face hardened, "That is impossible."

At this, Iroh chose to speak, "Is it so impossible?" He asked, "I am one hundred and sixty years old, Mifune, Madara would indeed be an old man by now, but if he would be any less formidable is not to be said. Do not forget that I know just how monstrous that man was, or is."

"I realize that with the aid of chakra, a person can live far longer than the average human, but to still be powerful enough to control the Nine-tails?" Kenshin muttered to himself, and looked to his Lord, "Lord Mifune, if it is indeed Madara once again, then it would be wise to look further into this."

Mifune was quiet for a long time before he looked toward the hosting Lord, "Lord Naruto, I would ask you why you called this Gathering."

Naruto nodded, sighing as the proverbial bomb was about to be dropped, "Through the memories of Isobu, it has come to my knowledge that soon, this man claiming to be Madara, and others of his organization, this...Akatsuki, are to begin hunting us, hunting the Nine Demon Lords for the beasts we contain."

"Idiocy," Nobuhiro sneered. "You are not all powerful, but you are not weak. Any normal shinobi would fall to you within moments of confrontation."

Hinata glared at the man for the veiled jab at her husband, as did Hotaru and Haku.

But Naruto only nodded, not taking offence, "Normally, I would agree with you there, Lord Nobuhiro, but I have seen much through the eyes of the fox, and from the words of Isobu. I am no match for this Uchiha, whoever he is, at this moment. Bee could perhaps hold him off for a time, but I have seen that he possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan through Isobu's words as he described his eyes. What's worse is that he isn't the only Uchiha we need to worry about with these men. Itachi was reported be with a mercenary group that sported black cloaks with red clouds on them, which is the exact same thing that Madara wears."

Mifune nodded, "I have heard of the clan slayer," he said, "I also know of these Akatsuki you speak of."

Naruto nodded, "I figured that you would," he said, sighing, "And now I will answer your question...I called forth this Gathering to decide if the Demon Lords should go to war with this group of shinobi."

Iroh sighed as the stunned silence permeated the room, and rose, "Lord Naruto, to go to war is not something to decide lightly." He said respectfully, "I have experienced such things, as have a few of your fellow Lords. I believe Lord Eight fought against your father in the Third War."

"Hehe, just like the Yellow Flash," Killer Bee smirked at the blond, "Ain't abashed to act rash for a bash."

"Bee, please, no rhymes." Fu sighed, smiling at the large man.

Naruto chuckled at the pair and looked up at his friend, "Lord Iroh, I do not do this lightly, nor do I do this without cause." He said, sighing, "I have heard of these Akatsuki on the whispers the wind brings me, and I know for a fact that stronger shinobi than Itachi are among them, perhaps someone stronger than this Madara character we have been made aware of is pulling the strings. But the fact of the matter is, this man has successfully attacked and controlled at least two Lords in the passed two decades, one of them my own mother...if he's capable of such things, then what could he do to any of my brothers and sisters here, or myself."

Mifune considered this for moment, contemplating the man's words. "Naruto, explain why you have been charged with conquering lands that are not your own."

"I have done no such thing," Naruto said at once, "As requested by the new Mizukage, Mei Terumi, Gaara and I went to Kiri to try and talk sense into Yagura, but we both know how that went."

"Indeed," Mifune nodded, "And you came into possession of Wave country, how exactly?"

"When the deed was done, Lady Terumi wanted to reward Gaara and myself," Naruto explained, "Though Gaara would accept nothing, the lady offered me many things, silks, and other goods, but Zabuza suggested the Wave country as he said that it was once Uzumaki territory. Mei readily agreed to the offer, as she had power over that region."

Mifune nodded, seeing truth, "I see, but was that land not under the control of a man called Gato?"

Now Naruto began to sweat, "It was."

"And what happened to him," Mifune demanded.

Naruto sighed, and went on, "When I arrived in Wave to inspect it, I found it in deplorable states. All of the people were starving, and sick from malnutrition, there was nothing in the way of coin, or cloth. All of it had been taken up by this Gato...and I asked where I might find him."

"You murdered a civilian," Mifune growled, standing, "Lord Naruto, as much as I believe Gato deserved his fate many times over, the laws forbid you from harming a civilian without good cause!"

"I was petitioned by a village elder to rescue his grandson from Gato's dungeons, and kill him to avenge his late son-in-law who stood up to the man, and paid a heavy price." Naruto explained.

Mifune ground his teeth, his hand dropping down beside his sword, "That is a very thin line, Lord Naruto...as such, you cannot go without punishment."

Naruto stood, his eyes narrowing, "Haven't you punished me enough?" Naruto growled, his hands dropping to his side, his right twitching as if he meant to draw his own sword, "You denied me something that I longed for not so long ago, and though I no longer have the scars to prove it, I can still feel the crack of your whip against my back! Tell me, how many lashes will you bestow upon me for saving the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people!"

Mifune growled and went for his sword, but his hand was stopped by Kenshin, who glared at him with piecing eyes. "Draw your sword only when you intend to win or die." He said to the man, and glanced toward Naruto, "Naruto, I respect you for a great many things. You and I practice the same styles of kenjutsu, and our swords are forged from the same metal as well as one other blade in the service of Lord Iroh. If you feel that your punishment, whatever Lord Mifune decides it to be, then I would gladly accept a Trial by Combat duel with you, so that you may prove yourself innocent."

"Master Kenshin!" One of Iroh's men yelled, "You can't cross swords with him!"

Kenshin glanced at the younger man, "Do not fear, Ichigo, our swords will always remain as brothers, and you should know that mine is not a sword meant for killing." He said, smiling, and turned his attention back to the young Lord. "What do you say?"

Naruto crossed his arms, "I haven't done anything to warrant punishment."

"Lord Gaara has," Nobuhiro sneered, gaining the Lords' attention, "He murdered one of my men in cold blood. At a time, I had thought his bloody ways were done, but it seems that old habits really do die hard."

Mifune narrowed his eyes further, "Gaara, is this true?"

Before Gaara could defend himself, Matsuri stepped forward and around her Lord, "If you wouldn't mind, My Lord, I was present during this attack that Lord Nobuhiro had mentioned, and would like to explain what happened."

"Your name?" Kenshin asked, sighing as the attention was diverted from Naruto.

"Matsuri, Master Kenshin," she said, bowing slightly.

Kenshin nodded, smiling kindly, "Please proceed, Lady Matsuri."

Nobuhiro sniffed, "There's no need to treat her with such respect, Master Kenshin, she's merely a slave girl." The was a mistake. The moment the words left his mouth, Nobuhiro was surrounded by a whirlwind of sand shaping itself into a great many spikes. Nobuhiro's men made to draw their weapons, but the man's screech halted them as he bade them stand down.

"Lord Gaara!" The Water Daimyo roared, "Control yourself at once!"

Gaara ignored him as he rose from his seat and drifted almost lazily toward the encircled Daimyo, his eyes gleaming with malice, "She may have been a slave when you brought her here, but know this, Daimyo of Wind, she is no longer a slave thanks to Naruto's mate. And I have marked her as my own. Call her anything but mine, and I won't hesitate to crush you as I did your repulsive samurai!"

Nobuhiro was sweating profusely at that point as the tips of the sand spikes pressed against his skin. Naruto strode forward, however, and placed a restraining hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"Don't bother, Gaara," the blond said, glaring at the Daimyo, "Only two out of these five Lords are worth your time." He glanced at Kenshin and Iroh, smiling to both. Then he glanced to Nobuhiro, "It would be wise to treat the Lady Matsuri with respect," he told the man, "As I have said, slavery is not something I'm fond of, and my wife has seen to it that Matsuri is no longer as such...in other words, Lord Nobuhiro...apologize now, or get out." He growled in a bestial voice as his gaze turned to a vicious glare, his eyes turning red.

Tayuya almost yelped at the chakra that flowed from him, but a calming hand from Hinata stopped her. Glancing at the younger woman, she saw that Hinata was totally at ease while the Lord was in this state.

Mifune took a breath to calm himself as well, and re-seated himself, "Enough." He intoned, looking toward the Wind Daimyo, "Nobuhiro, you shame yourself. Do not provoke Lord First by insulting his wife," he said, and looked to Naruto, "I must also apologize to you, Lord Naruto, for my rash words, but understand, I am the law keeper, and you have stretched them quite thin in this little adventure of yours.

"I know that I have," Naruto nodded, "But what's done is done. If you deem to punish me, then I beg you to look upon the people of Wave, and tell me if what I did was right or wrong." He said, looking at Kenshin, "Like Master Kenshin, I do not enjoy the kill, but I won't hesitated to do so if such atrocities are being done to someone I care about, which includes the people I have long since lost due to Uzu's destruction long ago."

"He's amazing," Tayuya breathed out as she listened to the Lord, her husband to be if what she was being told was right, which brought a lite blush to her face. She could see those fangs of his sinking into her flesh...and the image wasn't such a bad one. A small spike of pain flared on her neck where her seal was located, and she resisted the urge to reach for it. Mind on the mission, Tayuya, she chided herself, you can't risk this over some fuckin' man that'd turn tail and run as soon as he saw the real you.

"He is, isn't he?" Hinata's voice drifted to her ears, and saw the woman smiling at her gently. Tayuya blushed and turned her gaze down.

"I will take that into consideration," Mifune continued, nodding, glancing toward Matsuri, "Now, if you wouldn't mind, young Lady?"

"Of course," Matsuri bowed, coming forward to place a gentle hand on her lover's shoulder, calming him more than Naruto ever could, before turning her attention to the Shogun, "I had had a difficult time sleeping the night of the incident, and decided to take a short walk into the castle gardens. I was about to return to my room when the man Lord Nobuhiro claims Gaara killed in cold blood came at me. I tried to get away, but he hit me and threw me against the garden walls - "

"Bastard," Zabuza commented, reaching for the hilt of his executioner's blade. "If he'd tried that with my Haku, I'd have his head on display on my wall."

Haku patted his shoulder comfortingly, "Now, you know I can take care of myself."

Matsuri smiled at the pair and continued, "After he threw me, I screamed for help, and called out for Gaara...he came to my rescue, killed him," she turned a loving gaze upon the First Lord and many of the gathered people staring in wonder. It wasn't that long ago that Gaara was more feared than even Zabuza, yet this young slip of a girl had nothing but adoration in her eyes when she looked at him, "He even made me turn away before he killed him."

"Outrageous!" Nobuhiro roared, "This scarlet woman dishonors my men and - "

"If the dishonor is too great for you to bear," Mifune growled out, silencing the man, "I'm quite willing to lend you a fine blade." Kenshin flicked his thumb against the Tsubasa of his Katana, letting the blade gleam slightly in the light of the room. A sight which immediately quieted the Daimyo. "As for the charge against Lord Gaara, it is dropped. A samurai that would degrade himself to such a level deserves nothing more than the worst sort of death possible."

Matsuri bowed to him, smiling, "I thank you, Lord Shogun."

Mifune smiled slightly, "Now, back to this war you wish to wage?"

Naruto nodded to him and turned to his comrades, "I know that this is a lot to ask of all of you, most of you having seen war before, but I will not force this on you. Let put it to a vote." He said, motioning for Gaara to be seated and start.

Gaara sighed as he sat down, Matsuri at his shoulder, "While I do not know the full capabilities of these Akatsuki, I do know that if they are powerful enough to put the Lord of Three under their control, then we should not allow them to advance their plans." He said, reaching up to grip the girl's hand, "I, Gaara of the Sand, vote that we should strike them down."

Naruto's eyes hardened, "I thank you for understanding...Lady Yugito?"

Yugito sighed, resting her chin in her hands, "War, as Lord Iroh said, is not to be taken lightly, Naruto." She said, her eyes moving to the two women by his side, and to Matsuri, then Haku, "And you should also take into consideration that you, Gaara, and Zabuza have wives. If these Akatsuki are as strong as you fear, then what if, in the off chance, one of them is strong enough to go toe to toe with you of all of us?" She asked, shaking her head, "I believe that we should gather more information on these people before making rash decisions, so my vote is no."

"I understand," Naruto nodded, smiling at her, "You've always been the voice of reason out of all of us."

Yugito smirked in a cat-like manner, "That's because I'm a woman."

Naruto chuckled before looking to Zabuza, who chuckled, "Kid, I followed you into battle looking for what I could call a good death, but found a good life, and I'd follow you again if you asked me to, but I have to agree with Yugito. Bumbling into a fight without knowing your enemy first is a fast, and good way to get yourself killed. So this is my vote, find out more about these guys first, then we can mount up an attack and take them all out at once, or one at a time with more than one of us attacking."

Nodding, Naruto looked to Roshi, who nodded his head, "I have lived through the Third War, even when three of the great villages moved on Uzu to destroy your clan, and I deeply regret my actions. If I knew more about this enemy, then I would gladly follow you against them, and happily dance on their coffins." Roshi said, smiling, "Facing down such an opponent such as Madara would definitely be the way to go for me, but I urge caution. Yes, we should take them our, for the sake our future Lords, and perhaps for the safety of the other nations. But not all at once. My motion it to go to war, Naruto, but a war of attrition."

Han snorted, and crossed his arms, "Not my forte," the giant of a man grunted, "I say we take them out, stamp them out like vermin. If they're bold enough to come after us, especially Lady Kushina, then it's better to take them out now before they try again, and possibly succeed!" He thumped the table loudly. "I may get out-voted, but I say stop them before things get out of hand, that's what I say."

"Thank you for being honest," Naruto nodded, smiling at the older Lord, and looked to Utakata, "I know that you are a peaceable man, Utakata, but I would still like to hear what you think?"

Utakata sighed, looking up at his wife and her slightly swollen belly, and smiled, "I can't go to war, Brother. Not when I have so much to lose." He smiled at the man, "Call me a coward, but unless they come for me, I will not fight. Right now, Hotaru is my main concern." He said, "So I will abstain from the vote."

"I understand," Naruto nodded, smiling at the pair, "No one here will think of you as a coward, seeing as yours is the first child born to the Lords since myself."

"Of course not," Yugito agreed, smiling at them, "The child is a blessing."

Naruto smiled and turned to Fu, his smile drooping slightly, "My Lady?"

"I will always fight by your side, no matter what happens," she said, returning his smile, "You know that.

Before Naruto could say anything, Bee piped up, "Yo, fool, it's my turn, and I say let'em burn!" Bee said, and Naruto took it as a yes to the fight. Which meant it was an even tie even with his vote.

"You've all given me your answers, and you've told me how you felt about my idea," Naruto said, smiling at his fellow Lords, "We are at a stand still, an even split with Utakata's abstaining. Therefore, I will change my motion to that we wait."

"Tch, you're no fun," Han sighed, crossing his legs.

"Right?" Bee smirked.

Utakata glared at them, and raised his pipe, "How would you two like a taste of an acid filled bubble?"

"No thanks," both men said.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Thank you all for your opinions. Now, why don't we all move to the dining hall? You've all come a long way, and I'm sure the journey's been difficult, so feel free to enjoy the hospitality of my island."

Iroh watched as the lords and ladies moved out of the room with the Daimyo following suit. He noticed that Fu moved close to the young blond, and gave a brief touch of her hand. Naruto looked at her from the corner of his eye, and smiled sadly. He then turned a full smile unto his wife, and Tayuya, who was warming up to the young man.

It was one of the few times that he had seen the boy happy since coming to this land, but now he knew that those times would come more often. He looked to Mifune, and frowned, "You did a great injustice to those children, Lord Mifune."

Mifune looked toward the hall where the Lords had disappeared, "The law is the law, Iroh."

"And he paid for his sin," Iroh growled, "And for hers, or did taking her thirty lashes along with his own not prove that?"

Mifune stiffened, "He is an honorable man, I will give him that, but he is dangerous in so many ways." The Shogun said, "The Uzumaki were savage warriors, skilled above all others in Sealing jutsu, and the art of the sword, and they lived for hundreds of years given their great reserves of chakra. Naruto being one of the last, as well as a Demon Lord makes him doubly dangerous because of the Demon's own savagery. If he were joined by another Lord, then - "

"Then he would be as happy as if he were a normal young man with the woman he loves," Iroh stated before turning to follow the procession. "But then again, laws are made to be followed, yet they are also made to be broken." He turned to look back at the man one last time, "But should a law be broken, does that warrant such a punishment as he received the last time?"

Mifune frowned, "The law is the law, Iroh, and nothing will sway me."

Iroh chuckled, and gave the man a smirk, "And when the day finally comes that Naruto no longer cares about your laws, I hope that I am there to place a torch upon your funeral pyre."

War or Peace? What path will the Lords walk down as the threat of Akatsuki looms ahead of them? As the question hangs, others arise. The Lady of Seven's relationship with the Lord of Nine.

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